Jan 11, 2009

Another great chili recipe, this one uses turkey and a whole lotta beans.

I loved this easy recipe topped with a little low fat cheddar, chopped red onion and cilantro. My brother gave me his recipe and insisted I use it for my blog. I am always looking for new, great tasting recipes, so I made this and he was right, it was a winner and even better the next day. Prepare this the night before and turn it on in the morning. Have a great meal when you get home. This can easily be made vegan by eliminating the turkey.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

I made this in my crock pot and it is DELICIOUS! I added a cup of whole wheat elbow macaroni to the mix. It makes a whole lot so I froze a lot of it (it's just me in the house). Thanks for the great website!

Let me say Gina that thanks to your recipes I have literally lost since August 14pounds. Of course I am on weight watchers but after a friend finding your site she told me how the whole process works and I have just fallen in love with your food. Let me say that even my hubby who loves food with flavor loves your recipes.

I tried this recipe and my family loved it!! I browned my gorund beef the night before- the next morning got up and put everything together in the crock pot to let cook all day. Came home to a great meal!!!

My brother sent me the link to your blog last week, and this was the first recipe I tried. Fantastic!

I'm a busy person who loves to cook healthy, and try to avoid processed food as much a possible. Just browsing through your recipes, I can tell I will be coming back here often - and will be passing on the link to all my other busy friends. (I know that keeping up a site like this is a lot of work - so thanks for doing it!)

Gina....do they really sell fat free ground turkey breast? If so, what is it made out of? Surely there must be SOME fat in ground turkey to be real turkey, no? What does it taste like? The recipe sounds fabulous. I'll be making it with low fat ground turkey. Please let me know about this fat free product you refer to...

I made this chili today and just had a bowl...FABULOUS..This will be my all time chili recipe..I had to come back and look at the recipe 3 times to make sure that it was only 3pts for a serving..tastes so rich and meaty. I followed the recipe exact adding a tablespoon of cumin and some red pepper flakes. Toppped with some WW shredded cheese for 2pts. Very filling meal for only 5pts. Thank you. Saturday I'm making your pasta fagoli..Can't wait.

I am NOT surprised that people won prizes with any of your recipes. You are truly amazing and I am lucky and glad to have stumbled across your site about 2 years ago. I cook almost all of my recipes from your site. I know this is alot of work and I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart! Even my husband raves to friends and coworkers about the recipes I make from here. We love them all and YOU! Thank you Gina!

this recipe was so good even my 3 very picky kids loved it. Your recipes are wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing them with all of us. We have tried lots of recipes so far and my family especially loves the beef empanadas.

THIS WAS SOOO GOOD, I made it SuperBowl Sunday. It was SO delicious I can't get enough of it. I am planning on making it at least once a month now. There is a chili that we have in this town from a local donut shop that people drive MILES to get and I think it taste sooo much like that. It is GREAT! THANK YOU!

I made this earlier in the week, and it was fabulous! My 2-year old LOVED it, and has eaten the leftovers all week long. Thank you so much for the recipe, and more importantly, the blog. I love coming here and getting ideas. Everything I've made has been amazing! Keep up the great work!!!

Made your Spinach Lasagna Rolls the other nite - they were great! My husband said they looked like I bought them in the store - looked just like your picture! I love getting all your recipes - have tried many of them and haven't tried one I didn't like! Keep them coming!

I just had a question about the cooking time. Since the meat is already cooked, it still needs 6-8 hours to cook on high? That seems like a long time. I made a chicken and rice dish in the crock pot yesterday, and it only took 5 hours on low. Please let me me know, as I'm looking forward to making this, but afraid to leave it that long on high. Thanks!

Yes, that's right. The longer the better but if after less time you taste it and are happy with the results, you could always shut it off. It won't hurt your turkey by cooking it longer, it's like simmering a meat sauce all day.

There are small cans of tomato sauce, Hunts makes them as well as other brands. Here's an example: http://www.walgreens.com/store/catalog/Meal-Planning/Tomato-Sauce/ID=prod1568208-product?V=G&ec=frgl_&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=sku1568197

I am curious about this recipe- however how could I do it if I were to puree the beans as I am not partial to the texture of whole beans? Would I puree the beans together before crock potting it, or after- just taking out the meat from the mix before I puree? Thank you for your wonderful recipes!!!

@Michaela- I'm not a big fan of the texture of beans either, but they didn't really bother me in this after they were cooked. I would puree half the beans instead of all of them. Do it before you put them in the crock pot.

its wonderful to go to work and you know all day your crockpot is doing its thing for you. I had this for dinner tonight and we loved it! a visiting friend even asked me for the recipe. I didnt do so good on the chicken cordon bleu but this I can handle!

I made this for a fun family get together this past weekend but since we're vegetarians, I skipped the turkey but added a half cup of Quinoa and a cup of water. Hearty and delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipes!

i must have a small crock pot, this was over flowing by the time i put all the beans in. i couldnt even put the lid on, i had to make a foil "hat" for it. i hope it cooks right, does this reduce in volume as it cooks? if so maybe half way in i can put the top back on.

No, it really doesn't reduce much, so it sounds like your crock pot is smaller. The cover really needs to be on for crock pots to work, so I would take some out and maybe cook it another day or on the stove.

Love your recipes! I've made the carrot cake, butternut squash risotto and now this. And Im only getting started! :) however, I was just at trader joe's and grabbed the only ground turkey they had. Got back home and realized it had 16 g of fat! If I make it with that turkey will it be ok? Or should I venture out for fat free ground turkey? Thanks for all of your awesome recipes!!

I love this chili recipe! Putting the chopped onions and about a half an ounce of cheese on top really adds to the flavor. It's just me and my husband in the house so I gave my daughter some servings and she loved it as well. We had the leftovers two days later and it was even better the second time. This will be a new favorite! Thank you for all of your great recipes.

Gina, I made this for the first time about a month ago. It now appears on my menu each week. It has just enough kick to it and is my favorite chili recipe. I love the fact that it keeps me on plan and tastes sooo good. I use the left overs on baked potatoes the next night. Thank you so much for all your recipes.

I made this and LOVED it. I'm not a big bean person either. Next time I would take someone else's suggestion and puree half the beans, but that's just cause of my preference. I topped it with a little FF sour cream and my hubby added cheese to his and it was delicious!! My kids loved it too!! I've tried so many of your recipes and have to say that I haven't found one yet that I don't like!! Thanks for taking the time to post these amazing 'waist-friendly' meals for us people that need just a little help in the kitchen!! :)

Gina!!!!Thank you so much just tried this recipe and loved it I made it last night and brought it to work with me. My family also loves it and it makes plenty so we have left overs. Thanks for posting such great food TWO THUMBS UP!!

I just made this recipe today and it is delicious! For those of you that like it spicy, try it with a can of Chipotles in adobo sauce with no preservatives; the taste is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Added bonus, spicy food helps to speed up your metabolism!

Making this right now and can't wait to try it! I have LOVED every recipe from your site and can't thank you enough for all your hard work. I have lost 95 pounds on WW and your recipes have helped me SO much!

Do the chille's make this chili spicy? I prefer little to no spice so I usually leave chilles out of your recipes-they are still great dishes! Also not a fan of chickpeas-can I just add kidney or double black beans?

WONDERFUL! I have a tried and true less healthy chili recipe made with ground beef that my family and I love. I decided to try this. I had to use 2 cans of hot chili beans and 1 can of garbanzo's because I was out of black beans. I added 5 cloves of garlic while browning the turkey and onion. I served this over wheat rotini for the kids and I and my husband ate this straight up. We all LOVED this and actually thought it was just as good as our full fat version, if not better. WONDERFUL! I will definitely make this one again and again! Thank you Gina!

I made this today and I've got to say that this is quite honestly the best chili I've ever had. And my husband said the same thing and that's really saying something! Thanks for your wonderful recipes!

Hi Gina - this was my first recipe off your site and I must say, this recipe was DELISH!! However, I came up with 8 servings instead of 12 servings, which increased the pp+ :( I even used my digital food scale to make sure each serving was 10.8.

Gina, you are amazing! Love your site and can't believe how much work you've put into it. Must really be a labor of love. :-)

Just made this chili--delish!! But, when I measured the final quantity, I got only 12 cups total. Can't figure out why the quantity is so much less than yours. Any thoughts?

Thank you so very much. I've been back to WW for almost 5 months now and have lost 47lbs. Your recipes are so inspiring and enjoyable--I know they'll help me finally get to goal. Know how much we all appreciate you!!!!

I made this on Sat, for a Vday party I was throwing for my friends and the kids. It was a hit. I love to cook, and the fact I cook yummy healthy food is a plus. Thank you so much. You are the bomb. BTW I just found the pernil recipe. I almost fell over. Love you.

Just wondering do you mean green chilies?? not sure if i know what chopped chiles in a can are?? i am from Canada and i havent seen these before.. guess i will have to look? Would chopped green chiles work??Thanks!

I was just wondering, I use dry beans for most of my stuff instead of canned beans, do I just soak my beans like normal and then measure out what a can would be or do I measure before soaking them? Thank you so much.

Thank you Thank you Thank you for posting! I made something similar tonight and didn't keep track of the ingredients... I'm so glad I found your site ( restarted WW this week using old-already paid for meeting materials)

Gina-This recipe sounds delicious, can't wait to try it! However, I am concerned with the sodium content with all the canned beans, as my hubbie has to be careful with his salt. Could I drain all the beans and substitute a can of low sodium chicken broth to replace the lost liquid? Thanks for all your healthy tips & recipes!!

YUM!!! This was so delicious! I used dark kidney beans instead of chickpeas! I agree with everyone else...my house smelled so good! I can already see me making another pot of this within the next few days. All my friends and family want me to "share" your recipes aka I make them, they eat them! :)

This was a very good recipe and so easy. I loved it, served over rice or my daughter over spaghetti and cheese. Yummy. I just wanted to say thank you for this skinny recipes and all the nutrition posted, I appreciate it!

I've got this in the crock pot right now! I used my own beans that I cooked from scratch with no salt added :) This is gonna be good~

@anonymous wondering about the size of the crock pot - I have the standard-sized crock pot (I can't find a quart number anywhere) and it's leaving about 2 inches of empty space at the top right now. If yours is smaller than the standard size, I don't think this recipe will fit.

Maybe I did something wrong or missed a step (?), but this was quite bland made exactly as the recipe calls... added some garlic, cumin, chipotle and a few other seasonings I can't remember. Much better! Would definitely make it again with those quick adjustments.

I thought the same. I don't like it too spicy, but this was a little bland so I added red pepper flakes, more chili powder and green pepper. I wish I had added garlic too. Makes quite a bit of chili. I prefer Gina's turkey taco soup. My personal favorite.

So I just made this TONIGHT. Was worried that it was going to be to many tomatoes. I couldn't find chilli's with out tomatoes mixed in so I had a bunch, but most of them cooked down so much that the chunks that were left were minimal. I am learning to love tomatotes in things!! Such a delicious and hearty chilli. My next thing to do is to drain off some of the juice and make it into an enchalada or sorts! GREAT RECIPE!!

Hi Gina! I love your blog; I always look to your site first when I'm planning dinner! I just got a new crockpot and this is the first recipe I'm going to try. My crockpot is 3.5 quart, is that big enough or will I have to scale this recipe down? Thanks so much!

Marie said...I just had a question about the cooking time. Since the meat is already cooked, it still needs 6-8 hours to cook on high? That seems like a long time. I made a chicken and rice dish in the crock pot yesterday, and it only took 5 hours on low. Please let me me know, as I'm looking forward to making this, but afraid to leave it that long on high. Thanks!5/11/10 2:27 PM

Gina said...Yes, that's right. The longer the better but if after less time you taste it and are happy with the results, you could always shut it off. It won't hurt your turkey by cooking it longer, it's like simmering a meat sauce all day.5/11/10 3:40 PM

Made the chili for dinner last night. We all loved it, great recipe. The only change I made was adding a couple cloves of garlic in the mix. We cooked in the crock pot on low for 8 hours and it turned out fine.

I thought it was very delicious and hearty for the most part, but next time I will leave out the chickpeas (too bean-y for our taste), and add a chopped jalapeno for more spice. All in all, I gave it an 8 out of 10!

DANG (not the word I really used)...I used 93/7 lean ground turkey, not turkey breast. Not really worried about the calories/point difference because I'm making it for work. I'm worried about how its going to turn out! Crap! (again, not the word I'm using at the moment. Oh well, its in the crock pot. Cooking it a night early because "it's always better after a day!". Wish me luck!

Gina, I Have followed your website for over a year now, I LOVE it and rave to family and friends every chance I get! Was wondering how many points plus you think this would be if I don't use any meat? I am guess 3+, not sure though, wondering if you know? Im planning on making it this week, meat free! :) thanks so much!

I just tried this and love it! I'm 5 months pregnant now and starving all the time, but I refuse to gain the same 60 pounds I did with my first. Your web site will be a staple in our house to help keep me full, healthy, and not gaining too much baby weight! ;) Thank you!!!!!

Made this yesterday for 24 adults/children for my sons 3rd birthday party. It was a HIT! So much of a hit that I ran out so no one could have seconds! Next time I will triple the recipe instead of doubling. It was so simple to make and amazingly tasty. I had many requests for the recipe.

I served it with corn muffins and a mixed greens salad and made the Pineapple Bliss cupcakes for dessert. Perfect party food but next time I need to make more of everything because it tasted so good! Thanks again Gina...

This was SO good! I actually was thinking before I made it, "how can a recipe that is so simple for chili taste as good as the reviews say?" So I tried it- I added garlic and about 1 tsp cumin, just because I love both of those, but it is just about the best chili I have ever had- and easy too! My picky husband had just taken a small helping, but after his first bite, said, "mmm, this is good!" and went back for a large scoop. We served this wish sliced green onions, low fat sour cream, cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips- baked for me. SO YUMMY!!!! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!

I made this and didnt get home from work in the 8 hours so it cooked a bit too long, about 8 hrs 45min total. It was dry and a bit overcooked on the bottom. Is there a way to moisten it other than just adding water and simmering?? Any ideas?

We fixed this today for dinner and it was awesome! I'm so glad I found this blog! I've been doing Weight Watchers for several years and am always looking for new, healthier recipes! Thanks for sharing!

After browning turkey and onions,I added 3 cloves of garlic and two Tbs. of fresh cilantro with other ingredients. It was delicious topped with chopped red onion, lite sour cream, lite shredded cheddar. p.s., cooked on stove top due to scheduling problem and it was SUPERB! I can't imagine how tasty it would be if it had cooked for three hours ;)

I just made this for dinner, and this is BY FAR the best chili recipe I've come across. My taste buds are in heaven! This is so incredibly rich in flavor. The only thing I added was ground red pepper for a little extra kick. And now I have left overs to enjoy for over a week. Awesome!!

This is the 50th recipe I've tried from Skinnytaste and they never disappoint. Whole family loved this! I want to thank you - I joined Weight Watchers in April and have lost 45 lbs so far. I tell everyone my success is due to Skinnytaste. Your recipes have made this a true lifestyle change for me. Even my WW leader told me she tried two of your recipes last week because I brag about them so much! 23 weeks and I've had a loss every week - your site has been a Godsend!

Long time follower, first time commenter ;) Love this recipe and nearly ALL of your others! Just curious as to if this one is freezer friendly? And if so, would you recommend freezing it before or after cooking? I'm making a big stack of your recipes to fill up the freezer of a brand new adoptive mommy :)

This was fantastic! I've made many recipes from your site! I love chili and my dad has always made his "famous" kind. This was equally as good! I added fresh garlic (tip from another commenter) and cumin! Turned out wonderfully!

We had this yesterday! It was quick and easy! My family had an event to go to during the day all morning to mid-afternoon and the temps were in the mid 40's! This chili really hit the spot after being outside for so long and while we watched football!

absolutely delicious!!! i used one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (drained) and 2 10oz cans of rotel mild (drained) to cover both the tomato and chilies. Other than that, followed the directions fully and it was so good! Had it for lunch and dinner yesterday, froze a few bowls of it, and lunch again today! It's a winner!